Balladoole

Balladoole
The stone outline of the Viking boat burial
Map of the Isle of Man showing the location of Balladoole
LocationChapel Hill, Balladoole, Arbory
RegionIsle of Man
Coordinates54°04′47″N 4°40′55″W / 54.07964°N 4.68203°W / 54.07964; -4.68203
History
PeriodsMesolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Medieval, Viking
Site notes
ArchaeologistsGerhard Bersu, Basil Megaw, J.R. Bruce
OwnershipManx National Heritage
Public accessYes

Chapel Hill, Balladoole is a significant historical and archaeological site in Arbory on the Isle of Man. The site is a short distance from Castletown in the south of the Island. It is located on a small hilltop overlooking the coast. Balladoole has undergone extensive archaeological excavations in the 20th century, most notably in 1944-1945 by German archaeologist Gerhard Bersu who was interned on the Isle of Man during World War II.

The site has been in ritual use for millennia: archaeological excavations of the hilltop have uncovered Mesolithic remains; a Bronze Age cist; an Iron Age hill fort; a Christian keeill (a small chapel); a Christian burial ground, and a Viking Age boat burial.